People were surprised when Rose Byrne - she of such comedy classics like BRIDESMAIDS and THE INTERNSHIP as well as horror films like 28 WEEKS LATER and INSIDIOUS - was nominated for an Oscar, having no idea she could do dramatic work. But, if you were a fan of the Glenn Close led court-room series DAMAGES (that ran from 2007-2012), then you know that Byrne HAS the dramatic chops as she went toe-to-toe with Close in almost every episode and held her own very well. It has been

The acting challenge that Ethan Hawke saw in the script for BLUE MOON was something that any actor would not have passed up and with his long-time collaborator, Richard Linklater, set to direct - it was a dream project for him. And it feels like an Actor’s/Director’s dream project and not a fully fleshed out piece of work. Looking more like a filmed stage play, BLUE MOON tells the fictionalized story of one night in the life of lyricist Lorenz Hart - who with his composer par

Filmed with the cooperation of FI racing, the 4x Oscar Nominated ( including for Best Picture) Brad Pitt film, appropriately entitled F1: THE MOVIE, is a feast for the eyes and ears of racing fans that is visceral and loud and brash in the racing scenes and offers little else in the way of originality, characters and plot. Writer/Director Joseph Kosinski (TOP GUN: MAVERICK) brings the same eye for action to this film that he did for that Tom Cruise sequel and it works well wi

Last summer, Director Danny Boyle and Screenwriter Alex Garland returned to the world that they created in 2002 with 28 DAYS LATER with the 3rd in the “rage viruse” series, 28 YEARS LATER. They hinted that this film was going to be the first in a new trilogy and with 28 YEARS LATER: THE BONE TEMPLE, the series has already come out with the middle chapter of the trilogy. Focusing on the most interesting character in the 28 YEARS LATER film, Dr. Kelson (played by Ralph Fiennes

Back in 1984, a pair of brothers from Minnesota burst into the Cinematic world with an audacious ode to classic 1940’s/’50’s film noir, BLOOD SIMPLE, Directed, Written and Edited by Joel and Ethan Coen. Taking place in a backwater Texas burgh, BLOOD SIMPLE tells the classic film noir tale of sex, revenge, money and murder with the bad guys turning on each other and where no on is really innocent. This debut film works marvelously well thanks to the innate instincts of these 2

Sometimes you want to watch a big bombastic, effects-laden Super-Hero/Action film. And…sometimes…all you want is something quiet and gentle that is well-acted, well directed with exquisite Cinematography and a message that will touch your heart. Such is the experience you will have when watching TRAIN DREAMS, the latest Oscar-contending film from acclaimed Director/Writer Clint Bentley (nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay for last year’s SING SING)…and it was exactly the ty

The 2025 film NUREMBERG proves 2 things… 1). Russell Crowe, when he is interested and invested, can still pack one wallop of a punch as a performer. 2). A strong central performance - in and of itself - cannot elevate a film with a weaker script and dodgey directing. And…that is what we get in this James Vanderbilt (TRUTH) Directed and Written adaption of the 2013 book THE NAZI AND THE PSYCHIATRIST which depicts the relationship between 2nd in Command of the German/Nazi/Hit

Stephen King is a writer of horror, we all know that. Novels (and films) like THE SHINING, IT and CUJO has scared the beejeebers out of us. But there is also a facet of King’s writing that is lesser known, one where he looks at the human condition and in the right movie-making hands can turn out a quality, humanistic motion picture, albeit ones that (for the most part) will have some sort of super-natural aspects to it - films like THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION, THE GREEN MILE an

The more I write movie reviews, the more I realize that my love of classic films came from my parents - most notably, my father. He took me to see quite a few movies that were probably over my 7-10 year old head (like 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS and just about any James Bond or John Wayne film out there). He also would sit me down with him in front of the television when one of his favorite films came on TV - which is where I discovered such gems as BRIDGE ON

When it comes to technical movie-making, no one is better at it than James Cameron (TITANIC) and it is no secret that his latest film, AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH (the 3rd installment in the on-going AVATAR series of films) is a technological marvel and if one is going to see this film, the recommendation is to view it on the biggest screen possible - and in 3D (if your eyes can handle that sort of thing). It’s too bad that the rest of the film doesn’t live up to it’s technical exce

And…the leader in the clubhouse for the Oscar for the Best Picture in 2025 is Paul Thomas Anderson’s ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER. The BankofMarquis has not seen a film as original, gritty and well acted & directed since NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN back in 2007 (and that film was a deserved Best Picture Oscar winner). Written and Directed by P.T.A. (THERE WILL BE BLOOD), and adapted from Thomas Pynchon’s 1990 novel VINELAND, One Battle… starts with an extended prologue about a domesti

The Benoit Blanc mystery series - written and directed by Rian Johnson (BRICK) - is now in it’s 3rd iteration. And, despite critical acclaim, the first 2 films of this series, starring Daniel Craig (the most recent James Bond) left me a bit cold. I wanted to like them, but felt left at arms lengt (more so the 2nd one, GLASS ONION, than the first one KNIVES OUT). With the 3rd film of the series, WAKE UP DEAD MAN, they finally figured it out. As written and directed by Johnso

Have you sat around wondering about the behind-the-scene details and political dealings of how little known James Garfield of Ohio became President of the United States in 1880 and then, subsequently, was assassinated? Neither did I, but after watching the terrific Netflix Mini-Series, DEATH BY LIGHTNING (based on the novel DESTINY OF THE REPUBLIC: A TALE OF MADNESS, MEDICINE and the MURDER OF A PRESIDENT by Candice Millard), I don’t know how I could have lived without this k

In the late 1950’s and early 1960’s, it appears that Billy Wilder was interested in 2 things: 1). Making movies about the relationship between men and women 2). Pushing the boundaries of censorship as far as he could And with SOME LIKE IT HOT, THE SEVEN YEAR ITCH and his Academy Award winning film THE APARTMENT, he certainly accomplished both items. For his next film, he had to go to France, for the title character of his 1963 film, IRMA LA DOUCE, is a prostitute. Originall

Say what you will about Greek Director Yorgos Lanthimos and the oddities that are his films, but one thing you can NOT say about his films is that they are mundane. The latest outing by the Director of POOR THINGS, a “two-hander” starring Lanthimos’ stock players Emma Stone (POOR THINGS) and Jesse Plemons (KINDS OF KINDNESS) is a case in point. BUGONIA tells the tale of High Profile, High-Scale Tech CEO Michelle (Stone) who is kidnapped by Teddy (Plemons) because Teddy thinks

I went to see the latest installment in the Predator series of movies, PREDATOR: BADLANDS, expecting to see a gritty, somewhat gorey, perhaps a little, above a “B” movie action/adventure sci-flick flick. Instead I got a variant on the GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY style of film. And that isn’t necessarily, a bad thing. Directed by Dan Trachtenberg (the previous 2 installments in the Predator series, PREY and the animated PREDATOR: KILLER OF KILLERS), Predator:Badlands follows “runt

If you are debating whether or not to check out the latest Ethan Coen Written & Directed Dark Comedy/Mystery/Thriller (now streaming on PEACOCK for free, or you can rent it on Amazon, Apple, etc…), I have two words for you… HONEY, DON’T Not only is that the name of the film, that is my warning to you. The 2nd solo Directing effort from 1/2 of the Coen Bros duo (FARGO), Honey Don’t shows that Ethan Coen (last year’s turkey DRIVE AWAY DOLLS) must be the untalented one for this

When I saw that the new big budget remake of the Frankenstein tale, written and Directed by an Oscar winner Director and starring one of Hollywood’s A-List stars was only going to be in Theaters for a week before going straight to streaming, I wondered why. And then I saw the movie. Written and Directed by Guillermo del Toro (THE SHAPE OF WATER), his version of FRANKENSTEIN is lavish, lush, beautifully shot with Cinematography, Art Direction, Costumes and Make-Up that are, fo

Question: What is the first novel that Stephen King completed? If you answered CARRIE, you’d be wrong (it was his first novel published, but not the first novel he completed). This honor would go to THE LONG WALK a book he completed as a 19 year old, but then sat in a drawer in his office until long after he became famous - - and then, famously, he published it under the pseudonym Richard Bachman because he wanted to see if this novel would stand on it’s own (and not because

After strong showings with WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION (1957) and SOME LIKE IT HOT (1959), Writer/Director comes back with what is, perhaps, his best all around picture, the 5x Oscar winning THE APARTMENT. This film tells the story of nebbish office worker C.C. Baxter (Jack Lemmon in an Oscar nominated performance, more on that later) who is talked into lending his apartment to higher-ups in his company so they can carry out extra-marital affairs. When one of the affairs goes